Step 4: Table top

Step 5: Tip: Check your cuts

Before cutting miters with a table saw or radial-arm saw, first check for an accurate 45-degree cut. Make a test cut on a flat piece of scrap stock, t...

Step 2: Legs

The legs are laminated with glue and nails. Before applying glue to adjoining pieces, rip and crosscut 3/4 in. poplar to size. Stack them so they're aligned and drive a nail at each end so the points just poke through the top piece. Then, apply a light coat of glue, use the nail points to align the pieces and drive the nails. Add additional nails to bring each joint tight. After making a three-piece core for each leg, add the shorter leg-face pieces that create the notches for the rails. Use the same techniques to add the two shorter pieces to the outside edges of the leg blanks, taking care that the bottom end of each piece is held perfectly flush to the leg core.